Watching 9/11 from space

September 11, 2001 is one of those dates that is permanently seared into the memories of all Americans, but there was one American who watched the events of that day unfold from a unique vantage point. Astronaut Frank Culbertson was in orbit aboard the International Space Station. Culbertson, along with the two Russian cosmonauts who were his fellow crew members, watched and filmed the events of 9/11 from space.

Here is an excerpt from an article by Patricia Phillips on Examiner.com about Culbertson's experience of 9/11:

"It's difficult to describe how it feels to be the only American completely off the planet at a time such as this," Culbertson told ground controllers. As the tragedy unfolded, Culbertson learned that a friend of his had been flying Flight 93 when its heroic crew and passengers forced its early crash in Pennsylvania, diverting it from another attack in Washington, D.C. Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon.

Culbertson spoke poignantly of exhaustion and a sense of isolation. He kept reporting their observations, including a "haze" over Washington, D.C., and the "odd bloom" of the smoke rising from the Twin Towers.

Please take a moment today to remember those crew members and passengers who perished on board the four hijacked planes, and all those who died on the ground as a result of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

9/11 flight attendant Cee Cee Lyles memorialized by her home town

Cee Cee Lyles, a United Airlines flight attendant who was killed in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, was honored by her home town of Fort Pierce, FL, yesterday. A post office in Fort Pierce was dedicated in her memory, in a ceremony conducted by Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL), and attended by family members, community leaders, and her fellow flight attendants.

Ms. Lyles was born and raised in Fort Pierce, FL. Prior to pursuing a career as a flight attendant with United Airlines, she was a Fort Pierce police officer for six years. She died at age 33, when United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into a field outside Shanksville, PA.

A delegation from the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA), of which Cee Cee Lyles was a member, attended the ceremony in Fort Pierce.

"Today's dedication of the Fort Pierce Post Office is a wonderful way to celebrate the professionalism and the memory of our flying partner and friend," said Patricia Friend, AFA-CWA International President. "Her memory will live on through the Fort Pierce community for generations to come."

Last year, Congress passed a resolution, sponsored by Senator Martinez and Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL), which officially designated the local U.S. postal facility to be named in honor of Lyles. In 2003, Fort Pierce erected a bronze statue in Liberty Garden in Veteran's Memorial Park to memorialize the United flight attendant and Fort Pierce native.

Click here to read about the life of Cee Cee Lyles, from the archives of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

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Flight Attendants and 9/11 - Nothing Will Ever Be the Same

by B. N. Sullivan

Seven years have passed since September 11, 2001, yet the tragic events and their aftermath are burned indelibly into the minds of everyone who was working in commercial aviation on that day. Crew members, in particular, were acutely pained by 9/11. They realized immediately that the crew members on the hijacked aircraft were among the very first to be murdered by the terrorists. They understood that -- but for fortune -- they could have been working on one of the hijacked flights that morning.

When the U.S. airspace re-opened several days after the attack, most crews returned to work. No one knew what was going to happen, and no one could guarantee their safety, yet flight attendants and pilots courageously put on their uniforms, boarded the planes, and carried on.

In the weeks following 9/11, much media attention and well-deserved praise was focused on the firefighters and other first responders who rescued victims and put their lives on the line in New York and Washington. At the same time, though, little attention or recognition was given to the airline crews and their role on 9/11 and during its aftermath.

Then, as the airline industry suffered a huge economic downturn after 9/11, many crew members were furloughed, or lost their jobs outright. Most of those who remained employed did so by agreeing to huge cuts in pay and benefits, including the loss of their pensions.

To this day, the pervasive emotional and economic effects of 9/11 and its aftermath on airline crews remain largely under-reported by the media and ignored by much of the flying public. In fact, nothing has been the same in the aviation industry since 9/11.

As a researcher who has spent years studying the health and well-being of people who fly for a living, I can say that no event in recent history was more acutely stressful to more people in aviation than 9/11. Awhile back, I set out to document some of the experiences of airline flight attendants working in the United States at the time of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. I collected their stories by means of focus groups, structured interviews with individuals, and responses to an on-line survey.

In 2005 I wrote a paper based on these personal narratives. The paper was presented at a meeting of the British Association for American Studies, held at Cambridge University, England. Here is the link to the text of my oral presentation: "Nothing will ever be the same again." - How flight attendants in the US coped with '9/11.'

I want to assure the crew members in the United States and around the world who experienced 9/11 so personally, and who still grieve, that some people do indeed notice you, do admire your courage, and do appreciate all you have done and continue to do for all of us.

9/11 Flight Crew Memorial dedicated

A memorial to the pilots and flight attendants who died in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks was dedicated today in Texas. The 9/11 Flight Crew Memorial, which is located in Grapevine, TX, was created to commemorate the heroism of the 33 crew members who lost their lives after their aircraft were hijacked by terrorists on that awful morning in 2001.

The memorial depicts two pilots, two flight attendants, and a child passenger. The sculpture also includes two eagles, signifying the two airlines -- United and American -- that lost aircraft and crew on 9/11. Unveiled today, July 4, 2008, the 9/11 Flight Crew Memorial is the only memorial dedicated solely to the flight crews who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.

Sculptor Dean Thompson created the memorial, which is 18 feet high. His wife, Valerie, is an American Airlines flight attendant. Speaking about the memorial to a reporter at CBS 11 TV, Valerie Thompson said, "I hope people recognize that we were the first responders on that day. We had a very important role in helping protect the public."

A message on the website of the 9/11 Flight Crew Memorial Foundation explains:

The name of the bronze art is VALOR – COMMITMENT – DEDICATION. The valor was demonstrated in the professionalism and courage shown by those who perished on that fateful day from the most vicious attack ever on American soil. Their names will always be engraved into stone and history and in our hearts. The crews who climbed back aboard when the sky was reopened demonstrated unparalleled valor going into the unknown to bring everyone home to their loved ones.

Commitment was later demonstrated along with the same courage when their companies called upon them to keep their companies alive by giving up pay that they earned, to keep solvency available in the terrible years following. They still have not been repaid for this courageous effort, but they demonstrated commitment and continue to work under conditions worse than ever.

Dedication to their jobs making safety in the sky their number one issue is paramount. They have been pushed to the limit with rest time barely reaching minimums. Flying safe aircraft has been questionable as recently demonstrated by actions taken by FAA to this regard.

We are honoring all flight crews of all airlines internationally. We are placing this memorial under the flight path into one of America’s largest and busiest airports, Dallas Fort Worth International. It will be visible from the sky when approaching from the North or departing to the North.

For information about the memorial, and more photos, visit the 9/11 Flight Crew Memorial Foundation website.

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Airline Ride Across America

A Tribute to the 33 Crewmembers of September 11, 2001

A 33-day cross country fundraising bicycle ride to honor the 33 flight crew members who lost their lives on the hijacked flights of September 11 is being organized. The project, known as the Airline Ride Across America, is designed to raise funds for all three 9-11 memorials -- the Flight 93 Memorial in Shanksville, the World Trade Center Memorial and the Pentagon Memorial.

According to a press release about the project, the ride, which will begin on April 2, will start outside of Los Angeles International Airport, the destination of the four fateful flights of that day, with stops in Shanksville, Pa., and the World Trade Center in New York City before finishing on the grounds of the proposed Pentagon Memorial.

The ride is being organized by several people with ties to crews who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, including Capt. Thomas Heidenberg, whose wife Michelle was the senior flight attendant on American Airlines Flight 77, the aircraft that was crashed into the Pentagon.

"The flight crew members from those four flights have often been forgotten or overlooked. Just as everyone who lost their life that day going about their job, so were these crew members. They faced incredible struggles and did the best they could to survive an unimaginable situation," said Heidenberger. "I want this 'Ride Across America' to honor those 33 lives as well as all the other victims who experienced that terrible day. Any and all funds raised from this ride will be donated equally among the three memorials. We must never forget their sacrifices nor the sacrifice and spirit of survival our country felt that day."

During the 33-day ride, each flight crew member will have their own day of remembrance. On many legs of the ride various family members will join the riding team. Part of the support team includes Sheri Burlingame whose husband Captain Chic Burlingame was the pilot on Flight 77.

"9-11 is a day that means so much to so many -- a day of tragedy, a day of loss and a day to reflect. But I want it also to be a solemn reminder that individuals do make differences. Flight crews did their best to alert others and react to the attacks. I hope this ride makes people remember that and reminds them to help build these memorials," said Heidenberger.

The project's website says, "This is a fund-raising effort to bring about a public awareness of their sacrifice, sustain their memory, and insure that they will not be forgotten. On our bikes and in their honor, we will complete a coast to coast trip symbolic of their mission on that fateful day."

For more information, please visit http://www.airlineride.org/ or send an email to info@airlineride.org